For the manner in which men live is so different from the way in which they ought to live, that he who leaves the common course for that which he ought to follow will find that it leads him to ruin rather than safety.-Machiavelli

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Monday, February 2, 2015

Kalamazoo Belt Grinder

I want a belt grinder. Well, wanted. I now have one. The thing about belt grinders is that they can get incredibly expensive. The saying, "you get what you pay for" applies.
There are a lot of options out there. This is one time when you have to bite the bullet and spend a few bucks. Some of these options can range over $2000. However, you can still do it without dropping a full paycheck.
What's out there? If you're going to be hardcore about it, you run out and grab a 3 wheel grinder that runs a 2" by 72" belt. There are more belts available for that size than any other size out there. Starting price? The least you can expect to spend is about $600 (without a motor).
I don't have that kind of cash. I went to the 2" by 48" size. My belts are more limited, but I can still get a high quality grinder and have a good enough belt selection to do what I want. So...enter the Kalamazoo belt grinder...

My new Kalamazoo grinder, with a basic selection of belts.

I have a love for Kalamazoo band saws. They are absolute high quality. I figured that the quality would carry over. I found the grinder at Jantz knife supply. The cost, without a motor is under $300. I have a motor in the basement. In other words, I got a top notch grinder at a pretty good price. I was not disappointed when I opened the box. This is a quality tool.

Loosening that set screw allows you to change from a vertical grinder...

...to a horizontal grinder.

Kalamazoo even includes a drive belt! How awesome is that? That meant that I didn't have to pull the drive belt from my suicide grinder, even though that's where the motor came from.

The motor from my suicide grinder. It's been running faithfully since my dad was a wee little one.

Since the hour is now late, I have not finished setting up the grinder. More to come over the next couple of days. Stay tuned.

About the Monastery...

The ill guided adventures of a burned out hooligan as he builds weird choppers and bakes delicious desserts. Along the way, he meets a stunning cast of characters and has adventures in motorcycles, cooking, and machine tools. Will he find salvation? Will he find the question to the ultimate answer? Who knows, but stay tuned...someone might get drunk and spill the beans.